Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. assorted cleaned mushrooms — cut into 1/2" dice
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, finely diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup sturdy, dry red wine
- Additional wine or water as needed
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 top round steak (“London Broil”) — 1 1/2-2 lbs.
- Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 handful dried assorted herbs. (I used thyme, rosemary and oregano. The types aren't too important, but they must be thoroughly dry.)
Instructions
Clean the mushrooms with a slightly dampened paper towel. Dice all mushrooms to a uniform 1/2' dice.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Over medium heat, sauté your mushrooms in the butter/oil mix. As the mushrooms start to brown, add shallots, constantly stirring. Add balsamic vinegar and red wine. As the wine evaporates and thickens, turn off the heat and cover the mixture. If it is too thick, or not saucy enough, add water or more wine to thin the sauce to the desired consistency.
Pat your steak dry with paper towels. (Optional: Using a kitchen mallet or a small frying pan bottom, pound your steak ever so slightly.) Add salt and pepper to your steak to taste, pushing salt and pepper into the steak with your fingertips.
Over medium high heat, heat a cast iron, or an ovenproof heavy sauté pan. Add oil an, just as it shimmers and before it starts to smoke, place your steak in the pan. Do not flip or move the steak for at least 3 minutes. (Time varies depending on how you'd like the steak cooked, and the steak's thickness.)
Flip your steak when it's browned, with a slight crust. Place the pan with the steak in the 350-degree oven for 5 minutes. (Time varies due to thickness and how much you'd like steak cooked.)
When removing your steak, hold the stalk(s) of dried herbs firmly with extra long kitchen tongs. Turn the heat up to high and set dried herbs on the fire. Immediately place your steak and burning herbs in a metal bowl with a tight-fitting metal lid, or a heavy plate to seal the bowl. (The idea is for the steak to rest with the smoking herbs.) Let the steak rest for 5 minutes, covered in the smoking vessel. Carve your steak on the bias in thin pieces. Reserve any steak drippings.
Heat the mushroom sauce over low-medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir and deglaze, loosening any solids adhering to bottom of the pan. Add additional red wine or water if needed along with reserved steak drippings. Add butter to the finished sauce.
Arrange your steak slices on a heated platter. Cover with the mushroom pan gravy. Serve immediately.
Note: I used chanterelles, oyster & maitake mushrooms. However, porcini, shitake and portabellos work as well. Whatever looks good in your market should be fine. You may want to avoid button mushrooms. They can cook down too quickly